


A Casual Drink

by faithful4you



Category: The Good Wife
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-23
Updated: 2009-12-23
Packaged: 2017-10-05 01:26:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithful4you/pseuds/faithful4you
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A beginning Kalinda/Alicia fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Casual Drink

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shoshanna Gold (shoshannagold)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shoshannagold/gifts).



Fandom: The Good Wife  
Pairing: Kalinda/Alicia  
Rating: PG-13.  
Spoilers: None.  
Disclaimer: This original work of fan fiction is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License; attribution should include a link to this Livejournal post.  
A/N: This can be read as a standalone but I'm tempted to continue it. Argh, if only I could make more time! I hope this is up to snuff, dear readers. – Secret Santa  
****

Kalinda found herself stripping again, albeit this time at a much classier place. El Fuego catered to the nouveau riche businessmen and politicians of the Magnificent Mile. The richer the man, the more brazen he became within the confines of the club. The unabashed married ones were prized among the girls for being heavy tippers. They each had their regulars. In the VIP area, they danced in private for them. Most surprising was that they only danced.

Benny Rios had strict rules for his dancers. He had personally apprised her of them during her interview. It had been awhile since she had danced for anyone. At least she had the use of the pole in his office versus the showroom.

After she finished, he rose from his chair and approached her. He leaned in, gauging her reaction to this invasion. She barely blinked. Rios nodded almost imperceptibly and breathed her in. He was as close as he could be without touching her.

"Rule One: No fucking me over. How? By dealing smack, crack, ace, ice, or E. Stealing. Being late. Repeating anything about who or what goes on here. Recording any shit. And by fucking the clientele. Rule Two: No fucking the clientele. I've got the Fuego on the Mile because I run it clean, baby. Cops don't raid, I'm happy. The 'razzi don't get in, no photos get out to angry wives, the boys are happy. Rule Three: Don't notice anything, unless it's breaking rules one and two. So keep your trap shut, don't whore around, and you'll make good money. This-"he stepped back and gestured with his hand between the two of them, "Is what you need to be. Near enough to be real and far enough away to be a fantasy. You're not their mistress, girlfriend, or wife. You get to be what none of them are. A modern day Esmeralda on the Mile." He grinned at his last remark.

Kalinda had done her homework. Rios' mamá had worked herself into the ground to put her son through school. He was smart and liked other people knowing just how much. She'd spoken to many of his former school mates on the phone. Each had implied Rios had liked to lord his intellect over everyone else. He'd been the type to drop obscure references just to show he knew about something or other. People who didn't know him well quickly came to know at least that about him. Not that being initially underestimated didn't work in his favor from time to time.

She did not want to be taken for a fool by him. Her lips curled upwards slightly in a cold smile. "Hugo wouldn't have known what to do with a real-life Esmeralda if he ever met one. Would you?"

If anything, his was colder and calculating. "You'll fit in nicely around here, doll."

Kalinda sighed. For the n-th time, she considered how she had ended up gyrating to the thumping bass of industrial music. Over time, it had become near impossible for her to resist the overtures of the sappy do-gooder junior associate. Alicia was passionate about her work. Like a dog with a bone, once she had a whiff of injustice she pursued the case until the very end. She had accepted the claims of the firm's latest client after listening to her story in Gardner's office.

Blanca Olivarez, who went by the stage name Diamond Dancer, had worked at El Fuego for two nights before she was allegedly raped by an unknown assailant in Rios' office. The police had had enough evidence to secure a warrant for the security tapes of the night in question. Rios had watched tv, drank cognac, and gone over paperwork. No one else had entered the office. There was nothing to support Olivarez's allegations but Alicia was undeterred.

She had come to Kalinda, her eyes wide and earnest, and asked her softly if she could look into Rios. As far as Stern, Lockhart, &amp; Gardner were concerned, Olivarez had no case. Diane had had a scheduled meeting with her in the next week to inform Olivarez they would refuse to represent her. Alicia had looked so vulnerable at that moment, sitting across from her. Kalinda had agreed.

Why?

On most days, she told herself it was because she could not bring herself to add to the wreckage of the other woman's life. The State Attorney and his affair had ploughed into her and the media were the ones who had slowed down to look at the carnage. The name of Florrick had been turned into something to gossip about. She had agreed out of pity and empathy for Alicia's plight.

Other days, her reason was that she wanted to recapture some of the naivety and optimism Alicia possessed. The years had worn Kalinda down; her spirit eroded by corrosive politics. There were few decent people left and they rarely ever made it out of the starting gate. Kalinda had become hard to survive. It was tough to maintain that shield. That was why she had agreed.

On a rare day, Kalinda could only admit there was more to it than that.

A loud beeping sound jarred her from her thoughts. She checked her phone. She had one new message from Alicia.

'OK to talk?' it read.

She speed dialed #2. Alicia picked up on the first ring. "This is Alicia."

"Any new information on the case?"

"I'm waiting on the lab to get back to me to see if the tape was tampered with." A beat. "But mainly, I wanted to know how you were."

"I'm fine."

"Are you…" Alicia's voice seemed to catch. "- working tonight at Fuego?"

Kalinda mulled over the invitation. She was off at the Fuego but she had planned on going over Olivarez's testimony again.

"Kalinda?"

"Sorry for that. I am free. What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe we could meet for drinks? To discuss the case?"

"As long as I pick the place. The last time you got to choose, we ended up sandwiched between frat boys turning 21. No arguments. I'll pick you up at 9."

Alicia had hardly agreed before Kalinda had hung up and dashed to shower. She shrugged off the thought that Alicia had seemed jealous at the thought of her working the club. Today wasn't a rare day to dwell on moments like these. Moments that seemed to be occurring more and more frequently.

***

Kalinda knocked twice smartly. She heard a muffled voice shout, "Who's there?"

"Kalin –" She never got to finish.

The door partially opened so she stepped through the threshold in time to see Grace disappear around the corner. She stood awkwardly at the entrance until Zach passed by.

"Hey, Ms. Sharma. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for –"

Grace interjected from the other room, "What do you think Ms. Sharma is here for? You?" She brayed with laughter.

Zach looked embarrassed. He muttered goodbye and fled to his room.

Kalinda followed the laughter to the living room. Grace was idly flipping through channels. "Is your mother here, Grace?"

"Yeah, she's in her room. She's getting ready for a date."

She froze. "What?"

"At least, I thought it was a date until you showed up. In my defense, she spent 20 minutes alone picking out an outfit. That totally pointed toward a date."

Kalinda was saved from responding when Alicia walked in. "Kalinda, I didn't know you were here. I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"Not at all. Ready to go?" she said smoothly as she walked towards the door.

"Ready." Alicia followed her out.

***

Alicia Florrick was a complete lightweight.

Two Manhattans and a shot of vodka turned the normally composed, pensive articulate woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders into a swaying, grinning, and care-free mess. An apparently inappropriate horny mess. Kalinda had turned to order another drink from the bartender and when she had looked back at Alicia, she was gone. Somehow in a matter of seconds, Alicia had made a beeline to the back of the bar to talk up an amused Italian couple.

"Kalinda! You're here!" she hugged her warmly. "Paolo, Nicholas, meet my friend Kal-inda."

Thankfully, she did not embarrass easily. Kalinda smiled and extended her hand. "I'm sorry about her. It's been a hell of a day."

Alicia tried to whisper but failed. "I tried to hit on Paolo but he's gay. That's his boyfriend. I was so disappointed."

"And now it's time to go." She waved goodbye and firmly steered Alicia out the door.

"But why?" Alicia pouted.

"You're very, very drunk."

"And?"

"A, Paolo wasn't interested. B, you'd have regretted it in the morning. C, you would have killed me for not stopping you from making a fool of yourself," Kalinda said as she scanned the street for a cab.

Alicia looked down sadly. "It was nice to forget for awhile."

Something inside Kalinda broke for her. "I know." Alicia looked despondent so she figured she might as well stay with her until the buzz wore off. "Want to walk?"

Alicia nodded.

"What did you want to forget?" she asked even though she had her suspicions.

"My life," she said simply and with such weariness. "Him. I've kept it together for so long. For the kids. They were hurt so badly."

"So were you."

"He ruined everything and I stood by him." Alicia stumbled and caught her balance on a railing. She let herself slide to the ground. "I'm such a fool."

"You love him."

Alicia looked so incredibly guilty that Kalinda was taken aback. She said mournfully, "I loved him but I wasn't in love with him. Months before that press conference, I woke up alone one morning and didn't think anything of it. Then, I realized at some point I had stopped noticing him…" she trailed off.

A comfortable silence set in and Kalinda gracefully lowered herself to sit beside her.

"You asked me once why I stayed," Alicia said quietly. "I was unprepared. I didn't know how to split up my family. Then, he did it for me and I was relieved. He betrayed me but I did too."

Kalinda touched her shoulder hesitantly and Alicia leaned into her sobbing. "Let it go," she murmured and rubbed her back. "Just let it go."

At that moment, she would have given anything in exchange for words of comfort. She didn't have any experience in long term relationships, much less decades-long marriages that were rocked by a sex scandal. As she searched for something intelligent to say, Alicia gripped her coat tighter and sagged against her. The woman in her arms was deflated.

But not defeated.

"You're finding your own way," Kalinda said carefully. "I can't say whether you should divorce him or not. But you will make it, with or without him. You're the strongest woman I know, Alicia."

"Thank you," she whispered back and moved to look her in the eye. There was something there that had not been there before. Something vulnerable, exposed, true, and full of warmth.

Kalinda stared back and the urge to kiss her reared its head. Alicia was married. Alicia was straight. Alicia was her colleague. These facts reverberated in her mind but Kalinda just wanted her, this vivacious and injured beautiful thing. In that moment, something in Alicia's gaze told her she wanted that same thing.

A car moved down the street and honked loudly at an offending pedestrian.

Moment over.

Alicia smiled uncertainly and moved back. Her eyes were back to how they always looked. Veiled and weighted. Her happy buzz was finished.

Kalinda made sure to walk with her to her door. She bid her goodnight and turned back to the elevator.

"Wait!" Alicia hurried towards her. "Thank you for tonight."

Kalinda waved her off. "It wasn't anything."

Alicia's slim fingers encircled her wrist. "It was everything," she said honestly. She kissed her cheek and Kalinda closed her eyes at the contact.

She cleared her throat. "I'll bring you whatever my contact digs up on Rios."

"OK. Tomorrow?"

She nodded and turned away quickly. Once she was safely in the elevator, Kalinda touched her flushed cheek. Tomorrow.


End file.
